#it's like a loop of breeding shitty behavior brought on by his own mother's shitty behavior towards him

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Cartman, Authority and shitty Parenting.

Obviously he is lacking a authoritative father figure, something that plays a big part in who he becomes since he usually tends to idolize and replicate the behavior of adult male characters who present themselves as a powerful figures with authority, those usually tend to be shitty people. To name a few: Mel Gibson, the fat guy from the Butt Out episode, Michael Jackson (tho here it's less about authority and more about just having an "hey son let's play catch" type of parent, ironically Mr. Jackson presents some of the same issues when it comes to parenting as Cartman's mother does in "Tsst"), members of Nambla (there is a reason why Cartman is seeking out older male friends while also exhibiting a wish to be the "mature" one himself). Except for Chef (probably the only adult male character who had a positive relationship and influence on Cartman, after whose death you can also see a shift in his character), every adult male characters Cartman comes in contact with is a shitty person in one way or another

A prime example of this is in one early Halloween episode where Cartman's mom makes him a h*tler costume (Why? Not sure, but in the earlier seasons Cartman's mom was more outwardly implied to be an intolerant christian from what I remember, she Is also the one that took him to see "Passion of Christ" multiple times). In the same Halloween episode Principal Victoria shows him an educational video about the bad mustache guy but instead of seeing the video for what it is Cartman is instead drawn to the mustache mans "authority". (Cartman has a thing for Authority, for what I hope now are obvious reasons )

In the forementioned episode "Tsst", it is revealed that Cartman is 100% capable of change, and that what is preventing that is his mother's god awful parenting. See Liane's and Cartman's relationship is somewhat bordering on emotional incest, where Liane, the parent, seeks out a bond with Cartman, her son, that she should be seeking with other adults her age. Basically she treats him like a friend instead of a son. In the episode, she gains authority over him (notice a pattern) and once she does his behavior and personality both start shifting. She is able to do this because she finds a bond with the guy helping her be a better parent, she gains an actual adult friend. But once the guy leaves she reverts to her old ways of spoiling and treating cartman as a vessel for her own emotional needs, and with her so does Cartman.

So basically Cartman is put in this position where he is simultaneously seeking out a father figure, while also wishing to BE an adult male authority figure. And when you pair this with the fact that in his home, he is simultaneously supposed to be the kid (someone who wants a father figure) , while also being treated like the emotional crutch in place of an actual adult man by his mother (something that would make him feel like HE is SUPPOSED TO BE that authoritative adult male figure). A not so pretty picture starts to paint itself, giving us an insight as to why Cartman came to idolise and try and replicate the behavior and attitude of adult men he recognizes as "having authority".